Photo: Laineys Repertoire / Flickr

If you have an old piece of furniture with a jammed lock, don’t despair. It’s almost always possible to free up a jammed lock. It may not be as easy to replace missing casters if the wood surrounding the original metal socket is badly damaged, but it’s a breeze if the wood is still in good condition. Tightening hinges may be the easiest repair you’ll ever have to make. Read on for some related furniture restoration tips.

How to tighten old hinges

Many old pieces were made with small hinges and tiny screws, which attached to the doors and bodies. In most cases, the little screws work loose and the door starts to drag. To tighten up and fix the drag, simply remove the small screws and place a piece of a matchstick (made of wood) into the hole. Now squirt some glue into the hole and replace the screws.

If the screws are missing, look out for old screws at garage sales. These old screws will work just as well as new ones but will look authentic.

Furniture restoration tips for old locks

To reactivate an old lock, get yourself a can of silicone lubricant and spray it into the jammed lock (using generous amounts of the lubricant). Gently work the lock with the original key or a reproduction key until it opens easily.

If you don’t have the original key, you should be able to find a supplier of old locks, since old locks were quite generic. Otherwise check with your local locksmith.

How to replace old casters

It’s easy to replace old casters if there is no damage to the surrounding wood. If you have an old piece with missing casters, simply insert new casters into the old sockets. If there are no sockets or casters, look for a drilled hole in the base of the leg. Measure this hole to see if it will work for a new socket. You may have to drill or plug the hole accordingly.

If you’re plugging with wood dough, be sure to assemble the caster stem into the socket before you place it into the leg section. Firmly insert the caster into the wood dough so that the teeth engage.

If the sockets are missing and the wood at the base of the legs is soft and damaged, you won’t be able to drill unless you rebuild the wood. Begin by scraping away the soft wood. Fill the cavity with wood dough and prepare to make a cap.

To make a cap, cut a thin piece of wood to the same dimensions as the leg. Glue this to the leg’s bottom. When the wood dough is dry, sand any visible wood dough, as well as the cap so it is in keeping with the original leg design. Drill a hole through the cap and hard dough to suit the new metal socket. Insert the socket into the hole and add the caster.

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